Hell Bent Steel Dodge Ram Adjustable Lower Control Arms 1994-1999 User Manual

HELL BENT STEEL - INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

PN: 196-1994-001 FOR 1994-1999 DODGE RAM: FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARM

Pre-Installation Warnings:

Before installing this product on your vehicle, thoroughly read and
understand these instructions and the associated warnings.

Failure to properly follow all instructions and heed all warnings may
result in major property damage and/or serious bodily injury or death.

Test drive the vehicle to verify that it does not exhibit any uncommon
sounds or vibrations.

Inspect this product and all of its associated parts. Compare
the parts to those listed in these instructions. If any parts are missing
or damaged, promptly call and notify us at 877.731.7911. Do not
substitute any part or fastener from any other source. If you desire to
return the vehicle to stock, make sure to save all the original
components.

Installation Warnings:

WARNING: ONLY A CERTIFIED MECHANIC SHOULD
INSTALL THIS PRODUCT.

The OEM manual should be used at all times as a reference guide. The
person installing t h is pr o du ct should wear saf ety gl asses and any other
personal protection items needed at all times. Failure to properly install
this product may result in serious bodily injury or death.

Maintenance Warnings:

It is your responsibility to re-torque and/or inspect the integrity of the
thread lock (where applicable) of all mounting fasteners after the first
100 miles, and every 3000 miles thereafter or after heavy use.

Failure to follow these steps could allow fasteners to come
loose and cause serious damage, bodily injury, or death.

Have your vehicle’s al ignment checked ev er y 6 mon t h s.

Use Warnings:

DRIVE SAFELY! Avoid abrupt maneuvers such as sudden sharp turns

which could cause a roll over, resulting in serious injury or death.

You are solely responsible for any and all misuse, abuse,
improper installation, and/or improper maintenance of
this product and your vehicle.

After installing this product, drive with extreme caution, particularly
until you become familiar with how the vehicle handles. Slower speeds
may be required to maintain control.
Do not engage in any conduct that would void your vehicle’s factory
warranty, such as jumping the vehicle, driving the vehicle in excess of
payload towing restri cti ons, off-road racing, rock crawling, etc. Always
wear a seat belt.

Required tools:

21mm-22mm wrench / socket 1-1/2” wrench
Torque wrench 1-7/8” wrench

Torque Settings:

14mm mounting nut/bolt: 126 ft-lb

YOU CAN VIEW THESE INSTRUCTIONS ON LINE AT

www.hellbentsteel.com

Assembly Instructions:

1. Unpack parts to ensure you have all components.

The kit includes the following:

NOTE: Depending on the year and model of your truck the items
may not appear the exact same as is pictured.

2. Assemble the center links and joints:

Install the nut on the joint. Thread the nut up the stem of the joint
until it reaches the bushing shoulder. Then, thread the joints all the
way into the arm, ensuring the nut stays snug at the bushing
shoulder.
NOTE: The witness line(s)* on the center
links indicate the end of the bar with left­handed threads. *Depending on the year
and model of your truck, there will be 1,
2, 3, or 4 grooves. [FIGURE 2]

Install the joints with the left hand threads (silver nuts) on the
witness line end of the bars. Then install the joints with the right
hand threads (gold nuts) on the non-witness line end of the bars.
Repeat for all 4 joints. This process will make the arms as short as
possible. At this point the joints are probably not aligned properly.
Rotate one or both joints until they are aligned, making the arm look
like [FIGURE 3]. This will make the Hell Bent Steel arms
approximately the length of the OEM stock arms.

196-1994-1001

07/12

Control Arm Installation:

1. Park your vehicle on level ground. Block the rear tires of the

vehicle so the vehic le is st able and cannot roll. Safely lift the front of
the vehicle and support the axel with jack stands. Place jack stands
securely on both the driver and the passenger sides of the axel.
Remove the wheels from both sides.

NOTE: The front bolt of the lower control arm is a cam bolt which will
need to be retained or replaced by the Hell Bent Steel Cam Bolt
Eliminator (CBE) Kit. If you are replacing your stock cam bolts with
the HBS CBE Kit, skip step 2 and refer to the instructions included in
the kit.

2. Remove lower
arm cam bolt.

NOTE: If you
intend to retain
and re-use the cam
bolt, place a line
on the washer and
frame with chalk or
marker to indicate
the position for
reinstallation later.
Remove the front OEM cam bolt. Remove rear mounting bolt. This will
release the lower arm completely.

3. Insert new lower
control arm in existing
mounts. Ensure the left-

hand threaded joint (silver
nut) is toward the rear of
the vehicle and the right­hand threaded joint (gold
nut) is toward the front.

Install the rear joint first
using the new HBS­provided 14mm hardware with the washer on the bolt head and the
nut toward the outside of the vehicle. Next install front cam bolt (align
with the mark made in Step 3) or the HBS Cam Bolt Eliminator Kit.
Place the nut toward the outside of the vehicle.

4. Torque fasteners. Torque each fastener to specification.

5. Repeat steps 1 through 4 on the opposite side of the vehicle.

Control Arm Adjustment:

1. To adjust the arms: Park your vehicle on level ground. On your

new arms, rotate the center link so the arms are at their shortest
possible length. Begin rotating each arm (driver's side and passenger's
side) THE SAME NUMBER OF TURNS until the bottom of the shocks
are just forward of the top of the shock. There is no standard number
of turns that will accomplish this. Each truck may require a different
number of rotations to reach the proper position.

IMPORTANT: The number of rotations of the control arms should be
the same for both the driver's and passenger's side of the vehicle. This
is especially important if you are re-using your OEM cam bolts. If you
are replacing your cam bolts with the HBS CBE kit, your alignment
shop may adjust the rotation of each arm to achieve perfect alignment.
However, for your safety and the safety of your vehicle, have your
truck aligned immediately.

The HBS Adjustable
Control Arms have up
to 2" of adjustment
designed into them. It
is important to avoid
extending the length
beyond the designed
amount of adjustment.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should the arms be adjusted

beyond the point where more than 1" of joint threads are
exposed! Extending the arms further can lead to critical
failure that could result in vehicle damage, personal i njury,
and even death. Any adjustment beyond 1" of exposed
threads will void all warranties.

2. Have the vehicle aligned. It is necessary to apply thread-lock
to the jam nuts of each end joint of the new control arms to ensure
the nuts maintain position over time. However, once the thread lock
cures, you should never adjust the arms without cleaning off the old
thread lock and applying a new solution. It is required that the
vehicle be aligned before applying the thread lock for this reason.

3. Apply thread-lock. Once the adjustment has been reached and
the vehicle has been properly aligned, apply thread-lock.
When applying the thread lock you will want to ensure the solution
gets onto the threads that fit inside the center link as well as the jam
nut. Make a mark across the jam nuts onto the center link. You will
use this mark to ensure you return the parts to the same location.
Loosen the jam nuts. Record the number of turns you loosen the
nuts below. Then adjust the center link out, exposing more threads,
Record the number of turns below.

Driver's side: Passenger's side:_________
Front nut: __________ Front nut:__________

Rear nut: __________ Rear nut: __________
Center link: ________ Center link: ________

Generously apply the thread lock onto the exposed threads. Return
the center link and jam nuts to their previous location. The handling
cure time for the thread lock is 10-12 minutes. You will need to
tighten the jam nuts within that time frame. Full cure time is 24
hours.

9. Tighten the jam nuts. Put 1-1/2” wrench over the flat sections
on the center link to keep
it from twisting, then
place 1-7/8” wrench onto
the nut. You will want to
ensure that the joints are
parallel within the
mounts, not twisted or
binding while you are
tightening the nuts. If
you are using wrenches
purchased from Hell Bent
Steel, do not use more
than 16-inch cheater bar
on either wrench.

196-1994-1001

07/12